Chapter 1

That afternoon, Abigail Parker returned to the Newman residence. Just as she was about to push open the door, she heard Anita Terrell's hysterical accusations from inside. "That country bumpkin's daughter has been living a pampered life in our house while my own daughter couldn't even get a proper meal in the countryside. And you still want to keep her here to spite me and Gianna! "I'm telling you honestly, Robin, I feel sick every time I hear her call me 'Mom.' If you keep her around, I'm taking Gianna and leaving this house right now!" Robin Newman's voice came through in a low rebuttal. "But we've raised Abby for 20 years! How do you expect her to adapt if we suddenly send her back to the countryside?" "She's been stealing Gianna's life for 20 years! It's time she went back to live the poor life she deserves!" The Newmans hadn't sent a car to pick Abigail up today. She had ridden a rental bike home, working up a sweat. Her dark hair stuck to her neck, and her sweaty hands tightly clutched the box she had carefully protected throughout the journey. The Newmans had raised her for 20 years. A few days ago, a young lady named Gianna suddenly appeared at their door, tearfully claiming she was the Newmans' biological daughter. Anita immediately took them both for a paternity test, and the results indeed showed that Gianna was the Newmans' daughter while Abigail had no blood relation to the Newmans. Her biological parents were surnamed Parker, so the Newmans had already forced her to change her name to Abigail Parker. The Parker family lived in a small village in the mountains of the neighboring county. According to Gianna, the Parkers had never left the mountains in their entire lives and couldn't even afford to send her to school, so they probably didn't have the money to come pick Abigail up either. Abigail knew it was time to return to her real home. She had already bought her bus ticket and had returned today to say goodbye to Robin and Anita, though she hadn't expected Anita to be so anxious about her staying. Hearing footsteps inside, Abigail quickly released the door handle and was about to turn away when Robin pushed the door open. His eyes were full of guilt. "Abby... Don't be upset about your mother. She's just feeling bad for Gianna." Abigail shook her head, her bright eyes crinkling with a smile. "I understand. I came to say goodbye to Mom... I mean, to Mrs. Newman and you." She handed Robin the box she'd been holding. "This is a birthday gift for Mrs. Newman. I won't go inside, so could you give it to her for me?" Today was Anita's birthday, but with all the family chaos, no one had remembered. Robin's eyes reddened at her repeated use of "Mrs. Newman". The daughter he had raised for over 20 years had suddenly become a stranger, yet he had no way to make her stay. After all, Gianna was his biological daughter, and he couldn't let her suffer. Robin took the box and pulled out a stack of money from his wallet, offering it to Abigail. "Life will be tough there. Take this money and buy yourself something good to eat. If you need more, call me anytime." Abigail didn't take it. Instead, she stepped back to say, "Thank you for taking care of me all these years." She looked at him, her eyes reddening despite her efforts. "Your throat condition acts up every time the weather changes. Please try to smoke less. I left some throat lozenges in your desk drawer. Remember to take them." She didn't mention anything about the future. The Newmans probably didn't want any future with her anyway. With that, she turned and walked away. She carried only an old backpack. Seeing how flat it was, it clearly contained very little. Even her retreating figure looked thin and fragile, yet there was an unmistakable determination in her stride. Robin watched her leave with tears in his eyes. Then, he went in and handed the box to Anita, to which she immediately threw it away with a backhand motion. It rolled across the floor with a clatter before popping open, revealing the corner of a green necklace set with diamonds. It looked extremely expensive. Abigail hadn't even graduated yet, so where had she gotten the money for something like this? Anita said with disgust, "She certainly knows how to butter people up, using the Newmans' money to buy things to win me over. She probably thinks country life is too harsh and wants to gain sympathy so that she can stay." Robin sighed helplessly. "Abby's already gone." Anita couldn't believe it and even felt a hint of indignation. "What did you say? She left just like that?" Before Robin could respond, Gianna quickly stepped forward and took Anita's arm, saying anxiously, "Mom, it's all my fault. If I hadn't come back, Abigail wouldn't have gotten angry with you and left! My brothers back home are all good-for-nothings, and my adoptive parents favor sons over daughters. All the money I earned before went to the family, and it still wasn't enough. "Abigail's been pampered her whole life, so it's natural she wouldn't want to return to the Parker family. Maybe we should bring her back? I can get along with her just fine." Seeing Gianna on the verge of tears, Anita's heart twisted with pain. The thought of Abigail getting to enjoy wealth and luxury with the Newmans while Gianna had to work hard in the countryside to support her family filled her with nothing but resentment. "Silly girl, it has nothing to do with you. She's just an ungrateful brat who can never be satisfied. She's nothing like our kind-hearted Gianna. Good riddance! If she has the nerve to leave, then she'd better never come back!" Gianna leaned into Anita's embrace, a flash of jealous hatred flickering in her eyes. She despised Abigail's stunning face. Gianna was supposed to be the Newman family's heiress, yet she felt like an ugly duckling standing next to Abigail. All of this was the life that Abigail had stolen from her! How could Gianna possibly accept such injustice? Only once Abigail was gone would people stop comparing them, and she could finally claim her rightful place as the true Newman heiress. At that moment, several dirty cars pulled up at an intersection not far from the Newman residence. Three tall, handsome men got out of their respective vehicles, watching the young woman pedaling her bicycle near the Newman residence's entrance. These were the Parker family's supposedly good-for-nothing brothers. All three shared similar faces marked by the same exhaustion. While the third brother, Jayden Parker, was dressed relatively well, the other two looked disheveled. The second brother, Adrian Parker, was especially unkempt. He hadn't even taken off his work coveralls, the typical uniform of a factory worker. They had just learned that Gianna wasn't actually a Parker and had secretly changed her surname. She had already gone to Jewls to reunite with her biological parents. Their real sister was Abigail Newman—or more accurately, she should be called Abigail Parker now. They had personally come to pick her up on their parents' orders. "Samuel, that's definitely Abby. Look at her face! She looks exactly like me," Jayden said excitedly. Samuel Parker, the eldest, frowned when he noticed Abigail's disheveled state. "What's wrong with the Newmans? They live in such a fancy neighborhood, and they can't even send a car?" Adrian scoffed, his dark eyes filled with cold disdain. "What do you think? The Newmans figured out she's not their blood, so they've stopped spoiling her. And Gianna probably told them we're dirt poor. The fact that Abigail hasn't come home all this time says everything, doesn't it?" He had been pulled away from an unfinished experiment to come pick Abigail up, which made him irritable. "I don't get it. Why do we have to come get her? She's just like Gianna, a gold digger who'd rather stay here and be scorned by the Newmans than come home. Are we supposed to bring her back and worship her like some princess?" Jayden stared at Abigail without blinking, practically drooling. "What did you say? But look how pretty she is! She's so delicate-looking, like a little angel. I can't help it! I just want to pinch her cheeks!"